The present invention relates generally to a communication system for a mobile platform. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data delivery system for on-board entertainment and office systems of mobile platforms. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to the provision of advertising or commercials to occupants who are viewing visual images and listening to audio content on a mobile platform.
In general, on-board entertainment and office systems can be utilized to generate video images and audio content for occupants of a mobile platform. The video images and audio content can be related to movies, games, computing tasks, telephone conversations, and other entertainment-based or business-based material. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to the provision of advertising or commercials to occupants who are viewing the visual images and listening to the audio content on a mobile platform.
Mobile platforms, such as, automobiles, airplanes, trains, and boats have included on-board entertainment systems. These systems generally provide audio-visual content to a display screen. The audio-visual content can be provided from wireless, off-board sources and from on-board sources. On-board sources can include equipment which plays audio discs, audio tapes, video discs and video tapes.
One type of conventional on-board entertainment system is an aircraft passenger entertainment system. The aircraft passenger entertainment system can provide passengers with audio generated from audio tape players, movies derived from video tape players, and interactive services, such as, games, shopping and telecommunications. With the exception of interactive services related to telecommunication services (air-to-ground telephone calls), the aircraft passenger entertainment system generally utilizes strictly on-board sources (tape players, etc.) to provide content. Utilizing strictly on-board sources does not allow “live” programs or time sensitive programs, such as, news, sporting events, and commercial programming to be viewed on the aircraft. Video and audio tapes can take as long as several months to prepare before being available for viewing on the aircraft. Such a delay makes the viewing of sporting events, news programs, commercial television, stock reports, and other time sensitive material undesirable.
Alternatively, on-board entertainment and office systems for mobile platforms can utilize off-board sources. For example, automobiles can include spread spectrum or ultra high frequency (UHF) or very high frequency (VHF) broadcast antennae for receiving specialized or commercial television signals, respectively. In another example, proposed on-board entertainment systems for aircraft utilize digital broadcast satellite systems to provide live or near live video entertainment (television broadcasts) to passengers aboard an aircraft. However, the use of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems as well as UHF and VHF broadcast systems can be problematic as the mobile platform enters and exits zones where the signals cannot be received. For example, transoceanic flights often enter locations which are out of range of the satellite system. Similarly, platform position, geographic considerations, and other electromagnetic radiation blocking phenomenon can prevent a mobile platform from appropriately receiving data from a wireless source.
Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television systems are in wide use for the delivery of television programming directly to terrestrial homes of viewers. DBS systems operate in the Ku-band frequency range of 11.70 to 12.75 GHz. A DBS system typically consists of a DBS ground station for uplinking the programming, a geosynchronous orbiting transponder satellite for receiving the programming from the ground station on one frequency and downlinking the programming on another frequency, and multiple viewers with dish antennas and DBS receivers for receiving the downlinked programming. Digital compression is used to increase the amount of programming available from a satellite. MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 are the standard compression technologies in use by most DBS systems. A program provider or data source collects the programming data and sends it to the DBS ground station for uplinking to the satellite. Programming may be collected from sources by reception from other satellites, fiber optic lines, or the rebroadcast of digital tape. The programming may include data other than television programming such as Internet services. The data is compressed and encrypted before transmission. The viewer receives the downlink signals from the satellite on a parabolic dish antenna.
The dish antennas are small (typically 18-inches to three feet in diameter) which makes the dish antennas attractive for home use. However, even small dish antennas can be undesirable in certain mobile platform applications due to wind resistance and stability considerations.
A down converter is typically located with the dish antenna and down converts the received signal into an L-band intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The L-band IF signal is sent by cable to the DBS receiver in the home. The DBS receiver decodes, decompresses, amplifies and converts the signal into a viewable TV image.
On-board entertainment and office systems, such as, aircraft systems require the efficient delivery of data such as movies, programs, airline schedules, Internet data, e-mail communications and maps to passengers. This data needs to be updated or replaced so that new in-flight entertainment movies, new safety messages, and other information can be presented in flight. Also, mobile platform data, such as aircraft data from a FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance) system generated in flight needs to be removed from the aircraft and transferred to an appropriate recipient of the data. The updated and new data as well as the aircraft data is manually transported between the aircraft and the terminal.
Heretofore, passengers have had to purchase the right to receive on-board entertainment on the aircraft. Historically, only a percentage of passengers have been willing to purchase the right to receive on-board entertainment. Accordingly, alternative sources of revenue are necessary to support on-board entertainment.
Generally, on-board entertainment is provided without advertisements or with limited advertisements. Targeted, timely advertisements could generate greater amounts of revenue than conventional advertisements. Such revenue could fund the operation of on-board entertainment systems.
Generating maximum revenue from commercials or advertisements which are broadcast in a conventional fashion is difficult on a mobile platform. The relatively small audiences on mobile platforms compared to the massive terrestrially-based, non-mobile audiences cannot command the necessary revenue. Accordingly, advertisements should be directed to the occupants of mobile platform to have maximum effect and thereby increase the revenue that can be derived from advertisements.
Conventional direct broadcast satellite systems and other broadcast systems (off-board sources) do not feature advertisements directed to occupants for particular mobile platforms. The same data is received by all mobile platforms within the range of the source. Occupants of aircraft, trains, and ships having particular destinations may wish to receive content related to the destination. The content may even include commercials or advertisements directed toward features associated with the destination of the mobile platform. For example, it is desirable to show advertisements or previews for casinos, conventions, or other attractions associated with the destination. Thus, conventional off-board sources cannot provide audio and visual content directed to occupants of particular mobile platforms.
Conventional on-board sources also do not effectively provide advertisements. As discussed above, on-board sources require a delay before the advertisement can be prepared for playback on the mobile platform. Such a delay impedes the value of the commercial and adds significant scheduling overhead to preparing a program for the mobile platform. Further, conventional on-board sources require significant delivery overhead to ensure that appropriate advertisements are received by the mobile platform.
Thus, there is a need for a mobile platform communication system that offers efficient delivery of data to a mobile platform. There is another need for efficient delivery of advertisements in an on-board entertainment system for a mobile platform. There is also a need for a communication system which can deliver video and Internet data from a wireless source and advertisement data from storage or a wireless source for playback on a mobile platform. Further, there is a need for a mobile communication system that can operate as an affiliate which inserts advertisements into a video programming schedule or Internet related HTML files and browsers. Even further, there is a need for an efficient method of generating revenue from advertisements shown on a mobile platform.